The one-year agreement required the celebrity to use the #LoveFL hashtag on social media and create a "Sexy Beaches" music video

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Updated: 10:28 PM CST Dec 15, 2016

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WEBVTT
WESH 2'S MATT GRANT HAS MORE ON
WHETHER IT WORTH YOUR TAXPAYER
MONEY.
MATT: PITBULL RELEASING THIS
CONTRACT ON FACEBOOK REVEALING
FLORIDA TAXPAYERS PAID THE MEGA
STAR $1 MILLION TO PROMOTE
FLORIDA ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
MR. WORLDWIDE'S JOB TITLE,
CELEBRITY TOURISM AMBASSADOR.
THIS COMES AFTER FLORIDA HOUSE
SPEAKER RICHARD CORCORAN FILED A
LAWSUIT ASKING A JUDGE TO MAKE
THE SECRET CONTRACT PUBLIC,
ARGUING YOU THE TAXPAYER HAD A
RIGHT TO KNOW MUCH PITBULL WAS
PAID BY FLORIDA TOURISM
OFFICIALS.
THE AGREEMENT WITH VISIT FLORIDA
REQUIRED PITBULL TO DO A COUPLE
OF THINGS OVER THE COURSE OF A
YEAR.
FOR ONE, USE THE HASHTAG LOVE FL
ONLINE AND AT CONCERTS.
CREATE A MUSIC VIDEO CALLED SEXY
BEACHES PROMOTING FLORIDA
BEACHES.
AND STEER AT LEAST A HALF
MILLION FANS TO VISIT FLORIDA'S
FACEBOOK PAGE SO TOURISM
OFFICIALS COULD SOLICIT THEM TO
COME VISIT.
>> IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE
SUCCESS.
WE HAVE SEEN FIVE CONSECUTIVE
VISITORS OF -- YEARS OF
VISITORS.
WE HAD MORE IN THE FIRST NINE
MONTHS OF 2016 THAN THE ENTIRETY
OF 2010.
MATT: HOWEVER, IN A STATEMENT,
MR. 305 WROTE.
IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO REPRESENT
MIAMI AND THE SUNSHINE STATE.
I'VE TAKEN MIAMI AND FLORIDA
WORLDWIDE, WAY BEFORE ANY
CONTRACT, AND WILL DO SO WAY
AFTER.
I LOVE MY HOME STATE.
THE $1 MILLION CONTRACT ENDED
JUNE 30.
MATT GRANT, WESH 2 NEWS.
JIM: GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT
DEFENDED THE CONTRACT SAYING
ANYONE WHO DOESN'T THINK FLORIDA
SHOULD RUN ADS OR PROMOTE
TOURISM DOESN'T HAVE AN
UNDERSTANDING OF HOW OUR ECONOMY
WORKS AND HOW IMPORTANT TOURISM

Florida taxpayers gave Pitbull $1 million to promote state

The one-year agreement required the celebrity to use the #LoveFL hashtag on social media and create a "Sexy Beaches" music video

Mr. Worldwide was given a new job title by the state of Florida: “Celebrity tourism ambassador.”

Pitbull was paid $1 million to promote Florida on social media for a year, according to his contract with Visit Florida, the singer released Thursday.

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This comes after Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran filed a lawsuit this week asking a judge to make the secret contract public arguing taxpayers had a right to know how their money was spent. Pitbull had argued the contract contained “trade secrets.”

“It is unfortunate that it took litigation to lift the veil of secrecy,” said Corcoran. “The people’s House will not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal to protect the taxpayer and ensure transparency is the rule and not the exception in state government.”

The agreement required Mr. 305 to do a couple of things over the course of a year:

• Use the #LoveFL hashtag on social media (twice a month on Twitter, twice a month on Facebook) and on a video screen one time at each concert

• Steer at least 500,000 fans to Visit Florida’s Facebook page so tourism officials could solicit them to come visit

Visit Florida defended the contract’s price tag before it was made public.

“Our mission is to maximize the economic impact of travel and tourism to the state of Florida,” said Visit Florida president and CEO Will Seccombe. “The first six, nine months of 2016 were records. In fact, we had more visitors in the first nine months of 2016 than the entirety of 2010.”

Florida received $8.05 for every dollar spent on the “Pitbull program,” said Seccombe.

“We don’t do anything based on gut instinct,” he added. “This was a strategically based decision. We had a lot of metrics in place.”

The contract also required Pitbull’s public relations team to meet with Visit Florida officials quarterly to strategize on ways to promote the state.

“It’s been an honor representing Miami and the Sunshine State,” Pitbull wrote on Facebook. “I’ve taken Miami and Florida worldwide – WAY before any contract, and will do so way after. I love my home state.”